Mormon practices….continued part 2

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and a few other sects of Mormonism, the temple garment is a set of special underwear worn by male and female Latter-day Saints who have taken part in the washing and anointing ceremony in a Mormon temple.

Example of Mormon temple garments.
Photo © Richard Packham.

The temple garment (formally the Garment of the Holy Priesthood or informally, the garment or garments) symbolizes the “coats of skins” which Jehovah made for Adam and Eve before casting them out of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:21).

Latter-day Saints who have been endowed in the temple are expected to wear the garment under their clothes every day, as a reminder of special promises or covenants to God. On a practical level, it also serves as a guide to modest dressing — a woman could hardly wear a tank top and a miniskirt while wearing the temple garment, nor could a man go publicly shirtless.

Spiritually, the garment is believed to be a “shield and protection” against the powers of evil (and sometimes against physical harm, according to some Latter-Day Saints).

Latter-Day Saints are commonly clothed in the temple garment and the outer temple clothing when they are buried

Mormon practices

Baptism for the dead by proxy (or “vicarious baptism“) is an ordinance practiced by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Mormon denominations. (It is also found among the Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran, some of the Neo-Apostolic congregations of Europe, and some Native American religions.)

In the Mormon rite of baptism for the dead, a living person acting as a proxy is baptized by immersion in typical Latter-day Saint fashion. The ordinance is performed only in temples.

The prayer accompanying the baptism differs from typical wording in that it states that the baptism is being performed for and in behalf of a deceased person whose name has been submitted for that ordinance. Any member of the Church who is at least 12 years old may be baptized for the dead. Young men must hold the priesthood.

The Latter-day Saints’ view of baptism of the dead is based on their view of baptism in general. In John 3:5 (KJV), Jesus states, “Except that a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Mormons believe firmly that personal baptism is a required ordinance for those who desire to enter the kingdom of God.

Baptism for the Dead allows this saving ordinance to be offered to all those who have previously passed on without having heard of the Gospel of Jesus. If baptism is a required ordinance, as Mormons believe is evidenced by Jesus’s own desire to receive it from John the Baptist, then this ordinance becomes a burden for all those who wish to spread the Gospel with all the inhabitants of the earth who have previously passed on to the afterlife.

According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, their practice of baptism for the dead is based on a revelation Joseph Smith received. Smith first taught the doctrine at the funeral sermon of a deceased member of the Church, Seymour Brunson.

Hierachy of Mormon Church

Global and Local Organization

The top level leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They are based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. All officers of the Church below this level serve on a voluntary unpaid basis.

The Church is led by the President of the Church, who is assisted by two counsellors. Together these three individuals make up the First Presidency. The President is a prophet through whom God can reveal his guidance to the Church. The President of the Church holds office until his death, when the senior apostle (by length of service) becomes President. The current President is Thomas S. Monson, who succeeded Gordon B. Hinckley on February 3, 2008.

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are twelve full-time paid officers of the Church. Like the Apostles of Christ’s day these men leave their professions to serve Christ full time. Mormons regard this group as another example of the literal restoration of the church established by Jesus Christ.

The Mormon world is divided into 22 Areas, supervised by unpaid leaders.

A stake is a group of local wards, comparable to a diocese or a circuit in some Christian churches. It is the large-scale unit of Church organization, with around 2,000 – 4,000 members each. Stakes are led by a Stake President.

Local Mormon congregations are called Wards. They are led by a bishop (see below).

Individual Leadership Roles

At the age of 12, or at any age for new converts, male members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are ordained as deacons. At this time, they join the Aaronic Priesthood, a preparatory stage of priesthood, during which youngsters or new converts learn more about their faith through formal teaching, prayer and active service. Deacons are responsible for such tasks as distributing the sacraments at the Sunday service, collecting offerings, and helping with church maintenance work.

A bishop is a leader of a ward, or local Mormon congregation. Bishops are not paid and usually fulfill their religious duties in their spare time while holding a normal, full-time job. Bishops are ordained into the Melchizedek Priesthood and are responsible for performing sacred ordinances (similar to Christian sacraments) and all other tasks involved in leading the ward

The 13 Fundamentals of Mormon Beliefs

Basic Mormon beliefs are expressed in the “Thirteen Articles of Faith,” which were listed by Joseph Smith when he was asked about the basic beliefs of the Church. [1]

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

BRIEF HISTORY OF LATTER DAY SAINTS AKA MORMON

Brief history

See also: History of the Latter Day Saint movement and History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Latter Day Saint movement, including Mormonism, originated in the 1820s in western New York. Founded by Joseph Smith, Jr., the faith drew its first converts while Smith was dictating the text of the Book of Mormon. This book described itself as a chronicle of early indigenous peoples of the Americas, portraying them as believing Israelites, who had a belief in Christ many hundred years before his birth. Smith claimed he translated over 500 pages in about 60 days,^[4] and that it was an ancient record translated “by the gift and power of God”.^[5] During production of this work in mid-1829, Smith, his close associate Oliver Cowdery, and other early followers began baptizing new converts into a Christian primitivist church, formally organized in 1830 as the Church of Christ. Smith was seen by his followers as a modern-day prophet.

Smith told his followers that he had seen a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ in spring 1820 in answer to his question of which sect (see denomination) he should join. Sometimes called the “First Vision”, Smith’s vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ as two separate beings was reportedly the basis for the difference in doctrine between Mormonism’s view of the nature of God and that of orthodox Christianity. Smith’s 1838 written account of this vision is considered by some Mormon denominations to be scripture and is contained in a book called “The Pearl of Great Price.” Smith further claimed that in answer to his prayer: “I was answered [by Jesus] that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”^[6] By 1830, Smith reported that he had been instructed that God would use him to re-establish the true Christian church and that the Book of Mormon would be the means of establishing correct doctrine for the restored church.

Smith’s church grew steadily, but from the beginning in 1830, its members were persecuted. To avoid persecution from New York residents, the members moved to Kirtland, Ohio and hoped to establish a permanent New Jerusalem in Jackson County, Missouri. However, they were expelled from Jackson County in 1833 and forced to flee Kirtland in early 1838. In Missouri, the Mormon War of 1838 resulted in the “Mormon Extermination Order,” resulting in the expulsion of Latter Day Saints from Missouri, and they settled in Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1844, Smith was killed by members of the Illinois militia, precipitating a succession crisis. The largest group of Mormons accepted Brigham Young as the new prophet/leader and emigrated to what became the Utah Territory, where they incorporated The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church began to openly practice plural marriage, a form of polygamy that Smith had instituted in Nauvoo. Plural marriage became the faith’s most sensational characteristic during the 19th century, but vigorous opposition by the United States Congress threatened the church’s existence as a legal institution. In his 1890 Manifesto, church president Wilford Woodruff announced the official end of plural marriage, though the practice continued unofficially until the early 20th century.

Several smaller groups of Mormons broke with the LDS Church over the issue of plural marriage, forming several denominations of Mormon fundamentalism. Meanwhile, the LDS Church has become a proponent of monogamy and patriotism, has extended its reach internationally by a vigorous missionary program, and has grown in size to 14 million members. The church is becoming a part of the American and international mainstream. However, it consciously and intentionally retains its identity as a “peculiar people”^[7] set apart from the world by what it believes is its unique relationship with God-*

* WIKIPEDIA

IS MITT ROMENY THE ANTI-CHRIST?

Over the next 4 months, this blog will, look at the religion of the Republican nominee?    

THE TEA PARTY!

LIKE IT OR NOT THE NEW REPUBLICAN PARTY, ARE REACTIONARIES, AND UNFORNUTELY, THEY ARE TRANSPARENT HATERS!

WAKE UP EVERYBODY, OUR TIME TO ACT IS NOW!

Time to look!

When you see so much chaos, you try to stop and figure it out.  Some of it, is natural, and the rest is invention. Yes, it is being done, and there is a deliberate plan. Usually it only benefits those  who made the plan.

Since there are over 6 billion and counting on this ocean planet; the numbers getting something isn’t very  significant. However, the effects on all of us, can be devastating.

What can be done, to make intentional chaos less damaging, takes understanding, what we all experience, in this thing called “LIFE”. 

Our experiences, varies, but in the process, it is exactly the same. Anyone, saying, telling, teaching, or sending information that professes otherwise, has a deliberate “plan”.

It will take time, to learn, how to figure this out. But, it can make all of our lives better.

The lives we live take time. It is what it is. Just as we take, 18 years, in this culture, to enter adulthood. So does, every part and stage of life. 

 Maybe we can find common ground, since we are all one species. In this short journey, only being present, and open to learning until you end, will improvement and progress occur.

IT’S ALL OF US OR NONE OF US.

ALL OR NUTHIN!

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